Stopper and process of making the same



y 5, 3 J. BROADHURST STOPPEH AND PROCESS OF MAKING THE SAME Filed July 2, 1930 Patented July 5, I932 j UNITED STATES 'PATE'NITQOFFFFICE,"

JEAN BROADHURST, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., Assieuon or QVNE-HALF fro STANLEY J,

. STANLEY, or NEW YQRK, N. Y. H

Application filed July 2,

This invention relates to stoppers and process of making the same, havingparticular reference to stoppers for use in connection with test tubes, bottles or other con tainers used particularly-in laboratories and hospitals. y

In common practice, use isgenerally made of raw cotton as a stopper or plug for test tubes, bottles and other containers, such stoppers or plugsusually being fitted to the containers at the time of making. Inso making these stoppers, a quantity'of raw cotton appropriate to the size of tube or bottle is obtained and is twisted or rolled by hand to such size as to properly fit within the mouth .or neck of the container. obvious that this practice has a great many objections, chief among which is that the stopper must be of approximately the same size. as the mouth oriopening of the tube or container with which it is used requiring the exercise of skill in selecting the requisite amount of material in making and shaping the stopper. Should too great a quantity be used, the stopper will be of such size as to necessitate discarding it entirely or to involve remaking and reshaping it, or to compress too tightly or compactly the'material thereof when being forced into the tube or bottle, whereby the latter is too completely sealed to allow the free passage of air, steam 'or vapor necessary in many of the routine I procedures for which suchplugs or stoppers are used, such= as the cultivation of bacteria and the heating and sterilizing of containers and culture media. On the other band, should the quantity of material taken be too small, a stopper of insuificient size will resultand will drop into the bottle or tube. Furthermore, the time required in this cumbersome practicerenders the samehighly objectionable. 7 It is the primary 'object of the present invention to providea' stopper of such character as to be adaptable to tubes or' bottle -mouths of various sizes, which will efiectively seal the container with whichit is used against the ingress of bacteria, dust or other foreign bodies, yet which will possess a degree ofperviousnesssuch as will permit air,

It is very 1930; Serial No. 465,442.

's'roPrER AND PROCESS or Maxine THE AME steam or vapors to passtherethrough. Stoppers. possessing these characteristics are adapted particularly for use in connection with the bottles, flasks,

tubes or the. like wherein there are containedliquids, chemi- 1 cals, culturemedia or othermatter of like nature for making dilutionsor culture media for growing bacteria or as containers of pathological or other diagnostic specimens.

A further object is toprovide plugs or stoppers of such character or degree of perviousness that when heated they will retain their position in the tubes-during the sterilizing process and so insure sterility of the liquid or media in the tubes.

A further ob'ect 1s to provide a stopper capable-of withstanding flaming without detracting. from the efficiency of the'stopperor affecting the degree of porosity of the latter. a g

. A'stillfurther object is to provide a stopper and process by means of which the stoppers may be producedby. extremely simple operations, at low cost and at great saving of material,.and wherein the stoppers so pro duced retain their shap e and effectiveness notwithstanding repeated or continuous usage.

In the drawing forming part of this specification Fig. 1'is a side elevation of blank from which the stoppers of my and showing the same as the first step in the process.

invention are made, it will appear after Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the device as shown in Fig.1,

Fig. 3 is. a transverse sectional View taken through the tapered portion of astopper, Fig. 4 is a similar view taken through the body portion of a stopper,"

7 Fig; 5 is a side elevation, parts in section,

- showing the application proved stoppers to a test tube.

of one of my im- Fig. 6- isza side'elevation of .the blank showing the same as it will appear after the. second step inthe process.

Fig. 7 is a side elevation of a modified form of'stopper, and

1 Fig. 8v is an end view of the stopper as shown in Fig. 7

The present invention is directed to improvements in the process of making stoppers as disclosed by my United States Letters Patent No. 1,765,129, dated June 10, 1930. In the said patent there is disclosed a method of forming stoppers particularly of wood pulp or fiber, and while the invention of the present application also contemplates the use of fiber for its process, the stoppers may also be formed of cotton or other similar fibrous material. 'Moreover, the present process includes an improvement over the method as described in my aforementioned patent. In the accomplishment of the object set forth, use is made of paper, wood, fiber pulp or cotton formed or rolled in substantially cylindrical shape, the fibers of which may be matted in the several layers and may or may not be disposed parallel to the axis of the roll. Rolls of this character'al'e well known either in the form of cotton or pulp compositions, and are usually of true cylindrical form. The first step in the process includes the applicationof a row of stitches 10 (Figs. 1, 5 and 6) at a proper distance from end of the roll, which stitches are disposed at an angle to the'longitudinal center of the roll. [The application of these stitches causes the material immediately adjacent thereto to be somewhat compressed and in one dimension the said adjacent portion of the roll will be more or less broadened as indicated at 11. A particular advan tage of stitching or clamping .an end of the stopper as described is that the compressed end does not burn readily during'the well known procedure of flaming, incident to bacteriological work. .Moreover it has been found that stoppers formed in the above mentioned manner are not subject to bulging or expanding in this flaming process, and after such treatment the stoppers have been found to be equally as efi'ective and as readily insertable in a test tube as before. If that portion of the roll slightly beyond the stitches (as at 12) is cut parallel to the line of stitches, a stopper such as indicated at 13 in Figs. 5 and 6 will be produced. In producing stoppers in large quantities, the roll is provided at regular intervals throughout its length with pairs of parallel stitches 10 as indicated clearly in Figs. 1 and 6. By then cutting the material at .12 between each pair, and "also severing or cutting the rolls midway between adjacent lines of stitching at a true. right angle to the longitudinal axis of the roll (as at 14), a relatively greater number of individual stoppers may be produced easily, quickly and without a loss of material.

As has been before stated. each stopper comprises a. body 13 of substantially cylindrical shape, slightly tapered and slightly flattened at one end so as to facilitate its ready application to the more or less restricted opening of a bottle or test tube, allowing it to fit into a bottle or tube for which it is slight- 1y oversize, but without causing crevices or grooves which would interfere with its value. Upon insertion in the tube, the stopper completely fills the mouth or neck thereof so as to effectively close the same, while at the same time the porous nature of the stopper permits steam, vapors or air to pass through to an 6X- tent desirable in laboratory and hospital practices yet effectively closes the bottle or tube against the access thereto of dust, bacteria or other contamination from outside sources.

In instances where the stopper material is ofrrelatively fine fiber as cotton, it is difficult, if not impossible, to permanently taper the stopper without the use of holding means such as stitches or other such elements, however, by the use of such stitches or clamping means the tapered end is maintained at all times in proper shape for immediate and effective use. i

In Figs. 7 and 8 of the drawing there is illustrated a slightly modified form of the tapering and holding .means. In this form of the invention, the body 13 is tapered at one end by the application thereto of right angularly disposed clamps or .stitches indicated at 15. These stitches may be made of ordinary thread or light wire, and are made suficiently tight to draw the end into a proper taper.

By formingthe plugs in either manner set forth, plugs of a few given sizes will be found shape, one end of said body being tapered and stitches in said end to hold the same in tapered position.

2. A stopper comprising a cylindrical body of fibrous material, and stitches in one end of said body to compress the said end.

3. A stopper comprising a porous body out at an angle to its axis at one end, and stitches in said end substantially parallel to the cut edge thereto- 4. A stopper comprising a body of porous material of substantially cylindrical shape and stitches at an end of said body drawing and holding the same in substantially tapered position.

5. A stopper comprising a porous body of substantially cylindrical shape and stitches at I one extremity of said body disposed at angles to each other and drawing said end into tapered position.

In testimony whereof I alfix my signature.

JEAN BROADHURST. 

